Photo: Spaniard Jordi Araque earned a semifinals berth in Men's Class 26 (Credits: Mauro Mariotti) - Free editorial usage granted with credits. Click on the image to download it
The UCI Trials World Cup show continues in Val di Sole: in Vermiglio on Saturday August 24th the Class 26” Men’s quarterfinals and the Women’s Elite semifinals were held. Like on Friday, a big number of people gathered at the San Leonardo Lakes to enjoy the riders’ stunts in the five competition areas, and even more are expected on Sunday August 25th for the grand finale.
The 26” Men’s quarterfinals ended with no major upset, as all the best athletes have managed to win a berth for the semifinals, where they will square off against the top seeds, including defending champion Nicolas Vallée of France. Spaniard Jordi Araque, and Switzerland’s Tom Blaser and Vito Gonzalez scored the day’s best performances with 590 points.
In the afternoon, the Elite women contested the semifinals, characterized by a quick rain downpour halfway through the section. French Manon Basseville and German Nina Reichenbech, World Champion and 2018 winner in Val di Sole, marked the best scores (590), followed by German Larena Hees and Czech Alzbeta Pecinkova (580), Belgian Perrine Devahive and 15-year-old Spaniard Vera Baron (570): these six competitors will race for the podium in tomorrow’s finals.
Tomorrow, Sunday, will be the decisive day, starting with the Men’s semifinals in the 20” (9-11) ad 26” (11-13) classes: the 25 best riders in each class (among top seeds and qualified) will compete for only six berths for the finals.
In the afternoon, it will be finals’ time for Elite Women (14.30-15.45), 20” Men (16-17.15) and 26” Men (17-30-18.45), followed by the awarding ceremonies. The show of the finals will be available to the fans from all over the World, thanks to the live streaming on the UCI’s official Youtube and Facebook channels. Cameras are ready to turn on for another major day of cycling in Val di Sole.
Vermiglio (Italy), August 24th, 2019
Photo: French Manon Basseville is ready to compete for the Val di Sole's crown in tomorrow's final (Credits: Mauro Mariotti) - Free editorial usage granted with credits. Click on the image to download it
